Business Comm
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December 3, 2006
Michael Chavez
Dear Michael,
I am writing this letter to you in hopes of helping you understand what is taking place in our business communications course. I do understand that as a native speaker to English, this course may be a bit difficult for you, however please dont worry as I am always here to help you. This week we are putting our focuses on the “Word Power” conference. This conference has been set up for students to participate in a fun new way of introducing new words and phrases. These words and phrases are English culture specific and may be difficult to learn, however with my help I am hoping you will understand the definition of the word as well as understand the phrases that this word provokes.
In this conference we are discussing the word “Joe”. Joe is a simple word, yet is used in so many ways to refer to so much. The word “Joe” in its simplest form is a noun and refers to a person, place or thing. Its most common reference is to a person; “Joe” is a name or nickname. It has become an easy way to refer to other phrases that mean more than just a name. The word is very informal and is used in a casual context. The military community has also adopted the word “Joe” and it used to refer to a cup of coffee, “May I have a cup of Joe to go with my breakfast?” In addition the Armed Forces use the word to refer to a United States soldier anywhere in the world (G.I. Joe), again this is a very informal way of addressing a military personnel. The abbreviation to “G.I.” stands for Government Issued. While these are the most common use of the word there are many more.
In order for you to grasp a better understanding of the word, I have researched your home country (Spain) to see if your homeland uses the word in any familiar ways. You should be able to relate to the word, as the names Jose, Joseph, and Josephine, all derive from the word “Joe”. In addition “St. Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago is the oldest town in Trinidad and Tobago. Originally named San Josй de OruÑa, it served as the capital of Spanish Trinidad between 1592 and 1783” (Wikipedia). Also as you may know, because you live in the State, Californias city San Jose, also derives from the word “Joe”.
I hope that this informational letter makes you feel more comfortable about approaching and participating in this weeks conference. If you are still unsure about how to participate, take my suggestion and research the above Spanish names, this will reveal the history behind them. I suggest you use Wikipedia as it is a very familiar and notable website. Cant wait to see your contribution to the conference!
Regards,
Melissa Abella
TO: Business Communications Team 394
FROM: Melissa Abella
DATE: December 3, 2006
SUBJECT: Writing Process
As you all know we have been given the assignment to create a letter explaining the terms used in our active “Word Power” conference. Because we have been given the instructions to explain these terms to a non-native speaker to English, it is important for all of us to be aware of the difficulty and frustration that our explanation may cause.
Last year I took a course in Linguistics, with a focus on ESL learners. I acquired enough useful information that helped me with this assignment and found the information useful for non-native speakers. Here is a quick look at the information I learned.
Introduce the subject multiple times and explain the purpose for the material
Always assume the student knows nothing about the subject
Communicate clearly and directly
Relate the material to students L1 (First Language)
Make personal connections
Review constantly
Give resources that will help the student grasp a better understanding
As you can see my Linguistics course addressed a lot of important information that set me up for this assignment. With this said, I used the above content to compose my letter to my Spanish speaking classmate. I composed this letter as if my friend was a classmate in our business communications course 394 and I explained how to participate in the